Ancient town reopens to public after restoration, reparation in China's Chongqing

Actresses wearing cheongsam, a traditional Chinese women's dress also known as Qipao, perform during the reopening ceremony of Xituo Ancient Town in Shizhu County, southwest China's Chongqing, July 23, 2019. After two years of restoration and reparation works, Xituo Ancient Town reopened to the public on Tuesday. The time-honored Xituo Ancient Town used to be a key commercial hub for salt cargo transportation along the Yangtze River, especially during the Song Dynasty (960-1279) when the town served as the starting point and a distribution center of salt goods. It was listed in the first batch of "National Famous Historical and Cultural Towns" in 2003. To better protect the cultural relics and develop tourism resources in the town, restoration and reparation works commenced here by local authorities in 2017 in sync with environmental upgrading and urban infrastructure construction. (Xinhua/Wang Quanchao)